CNN Posts Controversial Insurgent Video

On Wednesday, CNN.com posted a story that included a video of Iraqi insurgent snipers shooting American soldiers. The piece, produced by CNN's Baghdad correspondent Michael Ware, started as a simple interview (through intermediaries) with Ibrahim Al-Shimary, the leader of the "Islamic Army." In response to the questions Mr. Ware sent to the insurgent leader, CNN received two videotapes, one with responses to the questions and the other showing several incidents of insurgent snipers attacking U.S. military personnel. The network posted elements of both videos in the final story.

While the video fades to black rather than showing the actual moments of the bullets' impact, the fact that CNN.com posted it at all has generated a fair amount of controversy on the Anderson Cooper 360o blog. Predictably, the comments are polarized between viewers praising CNN for their courage, and those who suggest that the network change their logo to match that of Al-Jazeera.

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